Voyager Andromeda: The Kabai
by sueKay-04
Summary: Episode Two of Voyager Andromeda: Janeway shares the story of how she arrived in the Andromeda galaxy as Phoebe struggles to adapt to life on the ship. When Miral and several crewmembers fall ill the crew must find out what's causing the sickness.
1. Prologue

Hey all!

Here it is, part 1 of episode 2 of Voyager Andromeda!

If you've not read Voyager Andromeda: Proving Ground then this story is likely to make little sense to you!

Oh, and I've not read Full Circle by Kristen Beyer, or Before Dishonor by Peter David, just incase you're wondering, though Before Dishonor did inspire a part of the plot of Proving Ground!

* * *

**Voyager Andromeda: The Kabai**

**Prologue**

"No,"

"Aw c'mon!" Phoebe Janeway whined.

"I'm sorry, the answer's no."

Chakotay walked calmly away from Phoebe and turned down the steps to his ready room desk, leaning back onto the desk. Phoebe for her part folded her arms and threw a familiar glare Chakotay's way.

"You haven't thought this through..."

"Well..." she stated, open-mouthed, "what else am I supposed to do while we're stuck out here? Sit in my quarters and fingerpaint?!"

Chakotay sighed, "Phoebe, there are exceptionally few civilians that ever get to be officers without going through the academy. At the moment you don't even have the qualifications to make in onto the non-commissioned officers' training course, let alone the commissioned officers' course."

"But I'm capable...I'm willing to learn...you know I'd be good at this!"

Chakotay looked at the ground and silently shook his head.

"I spent two years fighting in the Dominion war...We found a crashed and abandoned Federation ship and restored it to working order. You and I both know that the Maquis weren't the only small group who gave their lives en masse for the greater good."

Chakotay walked round the desk and sat at his seat, "I know Phoebe...the Resistance Movements never got the credit they deserved...I know you helped the Federation win some battles-"

"And we fought some battles with no back-up."

Chakotay nodded, "I'm not denying that you don't have the grit and determination needed, nor the raw abilities I'd look for in an officer. In a crisis, I'd definitely want you fighting alongside me, and were I still a Maquis Captain, I'd have already offered you a job...But I don't think you'd make a good Starfleet officer-"

"But-"

Chakotay pointed a finger, "If we were under attack by an enemy, you would do your job exceptionally well. You're a great person in a crisis. But how are you going to cope doing a fourteen hour night-shift checking if all the emergency lights in the Jeffries tubes are working? Or a fourteen hour cleaning duty? This ship doesn't clean itself, and those are the duties you'd be assigned as a Junior NCO."

Phoebe sighed

"You'd get bored wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, who wouldn't?"

Chakotay smiled, "I know, but I can see your organising Delta Shift into a conga line for a laugh rather than doing the job."

"Yeah...I don't do so well with the mundane," she chuckled.

"And there's your academic record...You might have graduated high school with honours, but you've dropped out of college twice...You've not held down a steady job for more than a year..."

Phoebe was silent.

"I know my record in terms of long-term commitment's not good...downright awful in fact, but I do want to do this, and you know, even though you'd think Kathryn lived and breathed Starfleet her entire life, she didn't focus on going up through the ranks until she was my age...she went from Lieutenant to Captain in seven years. It was never her intention to be career Starfleet. To her, it was a way to keep Dad happy, and to open doors to new opportunities. She didn't change to Command until after he was gone."

"Phoebe, I know all this."

"What do I have to do to prove I'm serious about this?"

Chakotay took a minute to look at Phoebe. She shifted a little under his scrutiny, but once again met his eyes.

"If you want to prove to me that you really want to become an NCO, and that this isn't a whim, or a way to avoid thinking about our visitor in the brig...Then find a way to make a positive contribution onboard this ship. Find something to do to make a difference, and come back to me again in six months if you still want to do this."

Phoebe's eye's widened, "Find a gap in the skills market, more of less? Okay I can do that that, I think."

Chakotay screwed his face up a little, "That's sort of what I meant, but do what you think's right."

Phoebe clapped her hands together once before rubbing her palms together. "Alright, I'm away to brainstorm...I...I won't let you down!"

And with that, Phoebe bounded out of Chakotay's ready room.

Chakotay let out a small chuckle, wondering what idea Phoebe would come up with...

* * *

_6 months earlier_

"We should make the rendezvous with the Enterprise with time to spare, Admiral."

"Thank you Ensign Monroe," Kathryn responded, "So how did you enjoy your first visit to the Romulan Empire?"

The young pilot smiled widely as she manipulated the shuttle's controls, "Very much...A lot more than I had expected."

"They're a fascinating race aren't they?"

"Yes ma'am, I mean...Admiral."

Kathryn chuckled, "I see that story about Commander Kim is still doing the rounds huh?"

Monroe smiled, "Yeah."

"So what did you get up to during the talks?"

Kathryn watched the young woman as she tried to respond. Ensign Louise Monroe was an exceptional officer who could have gone down any route in Starfleet. She'd graduated top of her year at the Academy, and had instantly had a plethora of Federation institutes clamouring to snap her up to become a doctor, or a physicist, or a strategist to name but a few options. But Monroe had always loved to pilot and was now one of Starfleet's most valued test pilots. Between test series she was required to ferry Federation Flag Officers to and from important engagements, this one being the monumental first meeting to discuss Romulan accession to the Federation.

Monroe's expression flashed between uncertainty and curiosity at the question. Kathryn regularly had to remind herself that officers unattached to starships had a totally different relationship with senior officers – They viewed every encounter with a Captain or an Admiral almost like an impromptu assessment.

"It isn't a test Louise, just a question," she smirked.

"Well...I did the usual tourist thing...viewed the Gardens of Tomalkek, took a cruise over the Apnex Sea, and viewed the falls of Gal Gath'thong."

"Are the falls as impressive as I've been told?"

Monroe nodded enthusiastically, "In a word...wow! They were magnificent...wish I'd taken a holo-imager with me, but I -"

Suddenly the shuttle was rocked by an explosion, and the front consoles exploded.

Kathryn ran to get a fire extinguisher.

"Status!"

"I....sensors read a Reman Scoutship...It must have been cloaked-"

They were hit by another blast from the scout's disruptors.

"Thrusters, weapons and inertial dampeners are offline!"

"The warp core?"

"There are microfractures in the injectors...we can't go to warp."

Kathryn nodded, the Remans had them trapped.

"They've reactivated their cloak...maybe they're retreating."

Now Kathryn shook her head, "No, they're watching us...seeing what we're going to do."

Kathryn reached forward, punching in a code at the Comm panel which was remarkably still working.

"This is Federation Admiral Kathryn Janeway of the Shuttlecraft Sato, we're under attack by a Reman Scoutship and require any and all assistance."

Kathryn closed off the communication, hoping in vain that their attackers had missed the message.

"Why are they attacking us?"

"They don't want to join the Federation...they're trying to get the Starfleet delegation to veto the Romulan application."

A console beeped.

"The Remans got your message Admiral," Monroe gulped.

"Shunt power to the shields, the Enterprise should have received our message...we just have to hold on for as long as we can."

* * *

"They're firing disruptors! The core's breaching-"

Kathryn awoke with a gasp in Voyager's brig. Feeling dizzy, she gulped down air as if it were a scarce commodity and focused on returning to the present. In an instant Michael Ayala appeared at the cell barrier.

"Are you alright? Do you want me to call Commander Paris?"

"No no Mike, I'm fine...just some bad dreams."

Kathryn slowly lay back down, breathing out to release some tension. She gripped the scratchy grey cushions of the brig's 'bed', trying to stop her hands from shaking, before wiping a sleeve across her brow, which was covered in cold sweat.

She glanced over at Mike, his face full of concern for just a second before he returned to his duties at the brig console.

Kathryn tried to will herself back to sleep. But then, she'd barely slept since Romulus...


	2. Chapter 1

Hey all, I've finally gotten around to updating!

I'm sorry this has taken so long to get up, but I'd only just began writing again after a bereavement, only to have to deal with another. But seeing as I'm feeling a bit better and currently unemployed, I think the next update may be along a little sooner.

Many thanks to Starscape91, mab13j, Julia and Tania, and Lady Day and Night for the reviews!

Final note - just to reiterate that these stories deviate away from the Relaunch Novels after the Spirit Walk books...I know some of the elements involving Janeway and the Q are similar, but this is a whole other story :)

* * *

**Chapter One**

It was three days since they'd arrived in Andromeda, and slowly the crew was coming to terms with being stranded even farther from home than they'd ever been. It was proving an even odder adjustment than at the start of Voyager's original journey home from the Delta Quadrant. The Voyagers began to put old systems in place: switching to shorter shift patterns for junior officers and longer shifts for senior officers; implementing replicator rations and drawing up holodeck rotas; taking note of food reserves and once more setting up a makeshift galley in the mess hall. The New Voyagers were at a loss, proverbial fishes out of their Alpha Quadrant pond. There were fights and tears, and there was a general sense of hopelessness from the 40-odd crewmembers who were new to feeling so lost.

Right now, for the senior staff, they tried to keep things 'business-as-usual'.

"Status Reports," Chakotay stated the order to his assembled senior staff.

Vorik reported first. "Engineering is functioning at satisfactory levels. We are still short on Deuterium, however the Kabai are willing to trade. Our Bussard collectors are another matter however. As long as we stay in a part of space full of these micronebulae, we cannot unblock them."

"Noted. Harry?"

"Operations operating at peak efficiency. Other than the re-implementation of rationing, there's nothing newsworthy to report."

Chakotay sighed. Poor Harry, he must have forgotten how boring Operations reports were while he was Security Chief.

"Sekaya?"

"Nerves are a bit frayed between the crews – crew – sorry," Sekaya winced, "The original crewmembers are adapting well, falling into old patterns of behaviour...But the newer crewmembers are having difficulty grasping the reality of our situation."

Chakotay sighed again, nodding at his little sister.

"Lyssa?"

"We've had to split up two fights, both between different sets of junior officers. One fight was over our situation. Ensign Jenkins got drunk and picked a fight with Lieutenant Mulcahey. The other fight was over another officer..."

"Ah yes...the Deck Six love-triangle," Chakotay smirked, before remembering that that wasn't very Captainly, schooling his features in a way that would make Admiral Kathryn Janeway proud.

"Precisely sir. Other than those two fights, and a few officers not sticking to their allotted amount of replicator rations and holodeck time...No major problems."

Tom began his report without being prompted by his CO, "Doreen has a further report to give you on the fight between Jenkins and Mulcahey. The other main issue of importance is the radiation in this galaxy. I've managed to synthesise innoculations and boosters for the types of radiation we've encountered, but there's no way to assess the amount of damage we're doing to ourselves while we're exposed to the radiation. Obviously we can treat cancers and growths, but there may be other dangers we're not expecting. I recommend negotiating with the Kabai to find out the effects of the radiation...Then there's the issue with our lack of a competent doctor...I've already talked this over with Harry and B'Elanna...Sir, with your permission, we're going to try and expand Doreen's program: increase her memory banks and memory buffer; make her personality subroutines more interactive. Right now she's more a walking-talking McCoy's _'Comparative Alien Physiology'_ than a doctor."

Chakotay looked at Harry and Tom. "Alright...Make Doreen your top priority...Any other issues?"

"Only one...we need a cook, and fast, before we all start fading away to small mountains," Tom smirked.

"Speak for yourself Tom," Harry chuckled. "Sadly Chell's already told me there's no way he's taking over Neelix's apron strings for a second time. He said running that kitchen for our last month in the Delta Quadrant was even worse than degaussing the transporter room with a micro-resonator."

Tom sighed, "I'll start looking for another crewmember to take over the messhall then."

"Thanks Tom," Chakotay stated before continuing, "that leaves us with our problem out there-" he pointed a thumb out of the window to the small Kabai ships that were escorting them, "and our 'guest' in the brig."

The new topic conversation was met with muted disgruntlement.

"I'm looking for options." Chakotay said, his tone indicating it was an order.

Harry was the first to speak, "The way I see it, and as much as I hate to admit it, the Kabai appear to be honourable. They returned our missing technologies, and they handed over the Ad- Kath- whoever-she-is to us, and they have no reason to doubt who she is. They're probably pretty sore over this."

"Well I know we're pretty sore over this too," Lyssa said with a rare sobriety to her tone.

"Then there's 'whoever-she-is' herself," Tom steered the conversation. "Doreen's convinced that she is Admiral Janeway, but then I myself was convinced until she knocked me unconscious."

"You talked to her Tom," began Lyssa, "did she tell you anything about how she got out here, if she is who she says she is."

"Yeah...she rambled about dying, loosing her humanity and winding up out here, alone. I didn't believe a word of it until she correctly guessed that the female Q sent us here. I think our 'Suzy-Q' knows exactly who this woman really is."

"I'm still not prepared to accept that she is Kathryn Janeway." Chakotay stated, hoping none of his officers would contest that point with him.

"I recommend that the officers onboard who know her best try and get information from her in order to work out who she really is, and what she knows about this galaxy. She may or may not be the Admiral, but what she knows could be invaluable...Dismissed."

* * *

"Artist my ass," Phoebe hissed under her breath, looking at the messy canvas in front of her.

Phoebe had always been the artist in the Janeway family, and while it had never been her job, she had dabbled with various mediums. She had began to replicate canvasses, paper, paints and other materials before Voyager had been flung across the galactic rift, but she'd never got round to replicating paint brushes. Now that they were on rations, she was loathe to use her precious credits to get brushes, and had thought back to her conversation with Chakotay and got an idea.

"A grown woman in your thirties and you're sitting fingerpainting...how mature," she growled, looking at brown mess on the canvas.

"Yuck."

Wiping her fingers across the canvas, she muddied her work even more, taking strange pleasure in destroying the worst piece of art she'd created in at least a few years.

Phoebe got up, and headed for the small pull-out sink in her quarters to wash her hands. As she did so, she looked out of the small porthole in her quarters, still in disbelief at where she was.

One of the Kabai ships drifted, just into her line of sight, and no more, reminding her of her dead sister, sitting as alive as ever in the brig.

Not wanting to, but unable to suppress her memories and her feelings, her mind travelled back to getting the news...

"_Hey Tom!" she said brightly as she answered the hail on her home's communications panel._

_Tom's usually cheerful face didn't smile back at her. Instead he looked fatigued and upset, his eyes puffy and red. Instantly she knew what news she was about to receive and didn't hold back a strange yelp that formed at the back of her throat._

"_I'm so sorry Phoebe..."_

Her mind was drawn to a more recent memory, of meeting 'Kathryn' again, after her death...

"_I helped mom identify your body, Katie."_

_Kathryn bit her lip and blinked back tears, turning away from the younger woman._

"_Pheebs-"_

"_And don't think you've got the right to call me your sister. You never had that right!" Phoebe spat angrily._

_Kathryn spun to look at her._

"_Yeah, Katie! Mom told me...She told me-"_

_Phoebe was interrupted by Tom and Sam Wildman arriving._

"_Told you what, Phoebe? What!?"_

"_I...I..." Phoebe turned to Tom, "Permission to be excused?"_

Suddenly Phoebe realised exactly how to tell if Kathryn was who she said she was.

"You can't do that Phoebs...You can't show that imposter your hand and...And if she is Kathryn, it wouldn't be fair."

The weight of her secret burden grew heavier, and her resolve to keep the Janeway family's one big secret,just that – a secret – grew stronger. But she had to get away from the silence of her quarters, and away from herself.

Turning swiftly, she exited her quarters with no real destination in mind, just with the resolve to escape from her troubles for a while...


	3. Chapter 2

Hey all!

Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up...I was a bit under the weather.

I now have a beta!! Many many thanks to CaptKJaneway!!!!!

Many thanks to Lady Day and Night, ladydameon, Starscape91, jewlz-sheridan and PilotTheTruth for the reviews!

A/N - This chapter is mostly a set up for the rest of the story and includes a lot of back-story. I've Chakotay's mother a name in this chapter, and if it looks familiar to anyone, that's because it was the original name of the Teyla character in Stargate Atlantis, but I liked the sound of it and decided to use it!

Enjoy!

**Chapter Two**

"It's an awful concept, isn't it?" Lyssa said to Sekaya.

Sekaya quickly ate a bite of her pasta salad, "Definitely...to think all the sentient mammalian species here are kept as slaves. I hope that it's not a practice we see everywhere in this galaxy."

Lyssa Campbell and Sekaya were having a working lunch in Sekaya's office. The pair had a lot on their plates – besides their lunches. Sekaya was having to work on keeping crew morale as high as it could be, while Lyssa was beginning to realise that law and order may become a problem.

"So what does Astall think we should do regarding morale?" Lyssa enquired.

Sekaya grimaced, "She hasn't given me any idea about what she wants to do. She's as lost as most of the officers we're trying to help," she shot a knowing look to Lyssa.

"I figured as much," Lyssa replied, apologetically.

"Right now I think our main task should be making sure each member of the crew feels like they're making a contribution...Move around assignments where possible, carry on with general maintenance, draw up an away mission roster..." Sekaya momentarily ran out of ideas, and shrugged her shoulders.

"The devil makes work for idle hands, believe me. If we don't find a way to keep everyone occupied and happy them I'm going to have a ton of paperwork to do. We've had two fights in three days, and I've already had to tell off three rather angry officers for continuing to use replicators at normal capacity. If they're already getting snitty about a lack of food choices, how are they going to be when we actually start to run out of food, replicated or otherwise?"

"How did the crew get by without a lot of food in the Delta Quadrant?"

"A variety of methods. For one, we had Kes running an airponics garden, so we grew our own food. We had Neelix in the messhall, and although he was no gourmet cook...he knew how to get the best, nutritionally at least, from our food. Though we did nearly have a mutiny or three over his love of Leola Root."

Sekaya chuckled, "Chakotay told me it could be pretty nasty to eat."

"Could be? It was _always _nasty to eat! Neelix found a way to include it in about half the food he gave us! Yeah so we had Kes and Neelix, and the crew managed to adapt to rationing...most officers – myself included – made do with the messhall, and we'd save up to replicate treats and presents...We also had betting pools, which Tuvok turned a blind eye to – don't worry, I will too – where the prize was normally replicator rations. Joey Mitchell hit the jackpot when little Miral was born...pity we got home and he couldn't actually use his rations."

Sekaya smirked a little, "Poor Mitchell...So the crew managed alright?"

"After the first few months we did great. Obviously we went through rough patches where we only had rations and Leola Root Stew to choose from, but to quote Seven of Nine, we adapted."

"Hmm," Sekaya took another bite from her pasta, "Seems like we should leave the rationing well enough alone...The situation should right itself."

"So long as we can get a cook and a gardener."

"Yeah...What about entertainment?"

"As long as we have Tom and Harry onboard, we should be fine...Tom has his holonovels, Harry has his band, and he'll probably help run a talent night again. And Chell will probably come up with a few ideas. As for the holodecks, there's no problem...times might run more rigidly than we're used to, but there'll still be plenty of time for everyone to use them every week. Tom will probably try and get Chakotay to implement 24-running for either Sandrines or the Paxau Resort."

"Oh, joy," Sekaya deadpanned, "Sandrines? Give me a good book instead."

Sekaya opted to change the subject, back to helping the crew deal with the reality of being lost in space again.

"I'm thinking of running drop-in sessions for the crew so they've always got someone to talk to. Astall's still running on an appointments-only system, but I'm thinking of just sending a message to everyone's terminals so they know to pop in when they need to."

"That's a good idea...a lot of the crew are still pretty shaken about getting abducted like that, especially Tal Celes and Naomi Wildman. I don't even want to think how everybody's coping internally with being stuck out here...It gets to you after a while."

"Yeah," Sekaya agreed, noticing that Lyssa had drifted off into her own thoughts for the moment.

Sekaya looked down at the remnants of her lunch, musing that she'd probably seen the last of her favourite foods for a long time. Her thoughts drifted back to the Alpha Quadrant, back to Trebus and Dorvan V, the two worlds she could call home. Her heart ached to think of her ailing mother, Mikala. She'd seen the toll Chakotay's absence had taken on the elderly woman, and dreaded to think how she'd cope now that both she and her brother were out of touch. At least this time around Mikala had a wider circle of friends and the support of their people to help her through it.

It was the worst time in her life when the Cardassians had butchered her people. One day their village was as happy and relaxed as it had always been, with children playing in the streets, traders passing through, going from village to village. The next there had been carnage, buildings burning, people lying dead in the streets. Those that had stood up to their Cardassian oppressors had been slaughtered without a moments thought.

When Kolopak had died in her arms, he spoke words of regret over how he had managed to alienate Chakotay. He asked Sekaya to look after her mother and brother, before conceding that Chakotay had been right to look beyond their people's ways...

"_He would have been more prepared for this, he would have fought them with phasers, not animal traps and kitchen knives."_

"_But father...This is not how we are! We don't hurt, we don't kill. All life is sacred!"_

"_My beautiful daughter...I wish our beliefs were enough, but these Cardassians are evil. We must kill them before they kill us all!"_

Kolopak, always a gentle man, had died with hate on his lips, and it had been too much for Sekaya. Not long after Chakotay had arrived on Trebus to witness the carnage the Cardassians had extolled on their planet, he'd taken off again, revenge at the forefront of his mind. Sekaya had left her mother behind soon after, desperate to reaffirm her beliefs of doing no harm, and worshiping all living things.

She hadn't joined the Maquis like her brother, instead she became an aid worker. That was until the Dominion had massacred the Maquis at Tevlik III, and she herself had been forced to take part in the bitter and bloody war that followed.

Looking out at the amber abyss Voyager currently sat in, it seemed like a lifetime ago. The only similarity was that once again, Mikala Asara would have to battle through on her own.

"Voyager to Sekaya." Lyssa waved a hand in front of her face.

"Oh," she blinked, "sorry."

"You okay?"

"Just thinking back to the war...and to my mother...she had to cope alone after we thought we'd lost Chakotay, and now she'll be alone again, thinking she's lost us both."

"We'll make it back." Lyssa stated with certainty.

"Positive?" Sekaya smiled.

"Absolutely!"

There was a minute of silence. Sekaya was happy to hear the determination in the young lieutenant's voice. It gave her a glimmer of hope.

"So what do you think of our guest in the brig?" Lyssa turned the conversation towards Kathryn.

"I don't know what to think."

"I still think there's something else going on...Even if she's an imposter...how the heck would any aliens know we'd lost our former captain so recently? Why would they even care?"

"I'd still bet some replicator rations on her actually being a Q. If Selar could fool Starfleet for decades, then so could whoever that is in sickbay."

Lyssa nodded her head. "Either way, we'll get to the bottom of it...Harry's going to be questioning her early this afternoon and then maybe we'll start getting some answers."

* * *

Kathryn blinked back to full consciousness as she heard standard issue boots march up to the perimeter of her small cell. Sitting up on the bed, she identified the boots as belonging to Harry Kim.

"Hello Harry," she smiled.

Harry for his part was having none of it.

"Hello Ms Qatala...I'm here to get a statement from you."

Kathryn shrugged, "Okay...down to business then?"

Harry nodded to the Ensign at the Brig's control panel and stepped forward as he disabled the forcefield of the cell.

"So...a formal statement," Kathryn said, a hint of irritation creeping into her voice.

"We just want you to answer a series of questions. Your answers can be as short or long-winded as you like."

Kathryn nodded.

"Okay then. Full name?"

"Kathryn Elizabeth Janeway."

"Date of Birth?"

"20th of May, 2332"

"Parents names and occupations?"

"Vice Admiral Edward Janeway – Starship designer; Doctor Gretchen Janeway – Mathematician."

"Siblings names and occupations?"

"Phoebe Nicole Janeway, and she's unemployed."

"Marital Status?"

"Single."

"Rank or Salutation?"

"Vice Admiral...but since you think I'm dead then my rank won't stand...put me down as Doctor."

"Doctor?"

"I didn't always wear a red uniform, Harry. I completed a PhD in linguistics during my first few years as an officer."

Harry blinked, "I didn't know that."

Momentarily he typed a few commands into the PADD he was carrying, "Hmm...seems that you do have a PhD in linguistics after all."

"Okay...What ships have you served on, and in what capacity?"

"USS Al-Batani as a junior officer before being promoted to Science Officer; USS Icarus as Science Officer; USS Billings as First Officer, and USS Voyager as Captain."

"Beverage of choice?"

Kathryn drew Harry a look, "Come on, that can't be a real question for this statement."

"Answer the question."

"Coffee, black," she scowled.

"Coming right up," he smirked at her, as the Ensign on duty took the hint and left the brig, heading for the nearest replicator.

"Okay...you got the basics right...the coffee's the reward...Now comes the tricky bit...how did you end up out here, a lone human in another galaxy?"

"It might take more than one cup of coffee," she sighed.

"Well see how the first one goes then," Harry said with a touch of humour.

A moment later the ensign returned with a cup of steaming hot coffee. Harry walked to the cell perimeter and waited as the ensign deactivated the force field and carried the cup over, handing it to him.

"If you pour that anywhere but down your throat, this conversation's over, and you'll be in this brig a long time," he warned.

"It's coffee...I never spill a drop of it," she grinned, eager for her first taste of coffee in over a year.

She felt Harry's eyes watching her as she took a sip of her drink.

She'd tried to forget how good coffee tasted, but it was just as good as she remembered and she savoured that first sip for a little longer than she would have normally. She let out a happy sigh, before nodding for Harry to continue.

"Well you passed that test with flying colours," he quipped.

"Commander?"

"That's just the way I would have expected the Admiral to respond to coffee."

Kathryn chuckled a little.

"Okay...now...how did you get out here?"

Kathryn sighed again, but this time it wasn't a happy one. "After the mess that Shinzon had created at Romulus, Starfleet Command had to work quite hard to keep the Romulans on-side. We'd held a few rounds of talks, none of which I'd been present at, as most of the work was being done by the _USS Titan._ However Captain Riker reported back that the Romulans wanted to stage talks on Romulus itself. Myself, a few of the Admiralty and the _USS Alexandria_ joined the _Titan _out there and proceeded to enter the talks. You don't know how stunned I was when Romulus asked for membership within the Federation. They'd been left greatly weakened by the Dominion War, and had managed to forge a closer bond with Vulcan in the aftermath of both the war and Shinzon's attack. They wanted to do the same with other Federation worlds but felt accession was necessary.

"The talks were going well, but the Remans weren't happy that the Romulans had entered these talks without discussing it with them first. About two weeks after the talks began, I was in a shuttlecraft with Ensign Louise Monroe heading back to the _Titan_ when we were fired upon by a Reman Scout Ship. I was certain we were going to die, and I was right...It...I can't describe how it felt, but for a short time I was...dead.

"That feeling didn't last long however, and before I knew it, I was in the middle of a rather muddy field full of people, with loud music playing. At first I thought I was at the Glastonbury Music Festival in England or something similar until I saw a very tall, red-headed woman standing before me. I didn't have time to ask her where I was or what I was doing there because before I knew it, Q's son screamed "Aunt Kathy" and wrapped his arms around me."

Harry nodded his head, and for the first time, she felt like Harry might actually start listening to her properly.

"So the Q saved you?"

"I guess so," she smiled sadly, "but they didn't save Ensign Monroe."

Harry was silent for a moment before bluntly continuing, "If they saved you, then why are you buried in a graveyard in Bloomington, Indiana? I was at your funeral, you know."

Kathryn nodded, "I guess they only saved my soul. Body and Spirit...Who would have guessed the Q would know the difference between them? Either that, or leaving my body behind would ensure that you wouldn't go looking for me, because I hope you would have, if there hadn't been a body."

Harry nodded grimly, "When it was confirmed that they'd found your body out there, we didn't know what to do...we didn't want to accept we'd never see you again."

"Likewise...The Q told me I couldn't go back."

"Feel like talking about it?" Harry asked, putting his PADD down for the first time since he'd arrived.

Kathryn hesitated in answering for a minute. So much had happened between her 'death' and meeting her old ship and crew, she didn't know if she could tell the story. But Kathryn knew the only way she could earn back her friends' trust was to be completely honest, and to show her trust in them.

"Okay, but I think I'll need another cup of coffee!"


	4. Chapter 3

Hello all!

Unemployed again, so expect more updates since I have the time! Apologies for leaving everyone hanging again!

Many thanks to Julia and Tania, Lady Day and Night and PilotTheTruth for the reviews!

Lady Day and Night - longer chapters coming soon!

PilotTheTruth - Lyssa Campbell features in 'fanon'. I've seen her appear in several fanfics by different authors :)

* * *

**Chapter Three**

"Life as a Q was...interesting to say the least...I stayed with them for six months...I made friends...I saw things I could barely imagine...I tried hard to have a life with them...but it wasn't going to work...There were just some things I could not accept."

"Such as?"

"Standing by, with all my newfound powers, and not helping stop wars, or stop plagues...And the other Q didn't seem at all upset...The vast bulk of them assign no worth to 'lower life forms' she spat, "and a lot of them treated me with utter disdain."

"Still Qenayu was determined to integrate me into Q society, to indoctrinate me in their ways."

"Qenayu?" quieried Harry,

"The female Q, her name's Qenayu...the Q all have names."

"Like Qatala," Harry grinned, "That actually makes sense now!"

"They have some bizarre names," Kathryn smirked, "Qotalopolu, Quingy, Qazzytu...to name a few!"

Harry chuckled at that, "I suppose Qatala's not so bad then?"

"Not really...still don't like it."

There was a moment of silence before Kathryn continued.

"Qenayu began to instruct me in the New Law of the Q, and she tried to be my moral compass...Unfortunately the Qs' moral compass isn't all that compatible with our own...The more she pushed, the more I fought back, the more pissed off and miserable I got.

"After six months I think Qenayu realised her plan her plan was failing...I was never going to conform to their societal standards, so she offered me a 'deal' of sorts.

"The Q have an enemy in this galaxy, and that enemy have banned them from Andromeda...Qenayu had the idea of placing me here, as my original human self to I guess, monitor their enemy as they're certain the Enemy is planning something...something Qenayu thought might end up affecting the Milky Way."

Harry looked at Kathryn, believing her story, "I think she was right...before we were sent here by the Q, two frontier worlds in the PDMZ were destroyed by some unknown weapon that managed to strip away every organic element leaving just rock behind...She seemed angry, and said basically what you just said – they had an enemy that banned the Q from their territory, and that enemy had decided to attack the Milky Way...She claimed their enemy wanted to take over the whole of the Local Group, starting with our home galaxy...But she told us this enemy wouldn't fight the war themselves – they were going to use 'lesser species' to do that instead."

"Well it all ties together," Kathryn sighed, "and if that's what they're capable of, we should be very worried."

"Did Qenayu tell you anything else about the 'Enemy'?"

Kathryn grimaced, shaking her head, "No."

* * *

"_YOU HAVE MAIL." _Phoebe's PADD informed her.

Phoebe groaned, switching away from her virtual _kadis-kot _to check her inbox. It was a ship-wide memo from Tom.

"_Good Morning, _

_Following this morning's senior staff meeting we have decided to implement replicator rationing permanently. Each crew member will be given new rations on a weekly basis. The amount of rations will be calculated taking into account your species, age, health and special dietary requirements. _

_There will be further consultation with regards to implementing our food reserves, and we welcome the crew's input. Please contact your shift leader or department head._

_The senior staff would like to thank you for your patience and understanding._

_Commander Thomas E. Paris_

_First Officer"_

"Great," Phoebe moaned to herself returning to her _kadis-kot._

"Good morning Miss Janeway."

Phoebe looked up to see the cheery blue face of Chell staring down at her.

"Chell! Good morning! Have a seat."

She waited until the portly Bolian was comfortably seated before starting a conversation.

"What do you make of the rationing?"

"Can't say I'm happy about it, but the system works...I'm just going to need to curb my cravings!" He chuckled, "You know us Bolians!"

Phoebe smiled. Bolians were notorious when it came to food – their species had a cartilagenous lining on their tongue, and until they had encountered other sentient species the taste of their food had never mattered. Their palate so under-developed that the species had never experimented with flavour. Since meeting other species for the first time – around the same time of Earth's first contact with Vulcan – they'd discovered stronger flavours – spices and sugars. As a result Bolian cuisine had morphed into a heady mix of flavours, and Bolians had gained a reputation as a race of Foodies.

"I'm sure you'll cope," Phoebe winked at Chell, "Not so sure about me...I'm a little over-used to my comforts."

"It's got to beat the war, though?" Chell replied quietly.

"Yeah...at least this time I won't go hungry," she conceded, "though I may go stir crazy through worry and boredum first."

"Best thing to do is to find a way to contribute to the morale of the ship in a way that enriches your own ship-board experience...That's what I did first time around...I helped out with every event that Neelix, Tom and Harry planned, and I stepped into Neelix's shoes once he left...Obviously we don't need a morale officer now, with Sekaya and Astall onboard, and I never did like cooking much to be honest, so I'm not going to back to the galley! I'm thinking of becoming the ships unofficial 'events manager' or master of ceremonies this time around!"

"Sounds like a plan," Phoebe smiled.

"Any idea what you're going to do?"

Phoebe sighed, "I wanted to get onto an officer training course, but Chakoray said no...He wants me to contribute to the ship in other ways before he'll even consider it."

"Officer training's tough...all of the original crew underwent limited officer training onboard to help us do our jobs better."

"I know, but I want to do it...Just need to figure out how to contribute to the ship."

"Well...do you know anything about gardening?"

"I'm afraid not," she replied sadly before an idea hit her, "but I can cook."

"Definitely sounds like a plan!" Chell grinned.


End file.
